How to never again see email conversations that don't concern you
You can see them coming a MILE away
The email subject is a dead give away - "Sue, thanks for all your hard work!"
Uh oh. And yep...the WORLD has been cc'd in.
You read the first line:
"Congratulations to Sue for her 10 year work anniversary today..."
And for sure, you know it's coming.
An email BARRAGE. Constant emails that will derail your concentration and flood your inbox for the rest of the day. Noooo!
You angrily delete each "reply all" email the instant you receive it, muttering under your breath, "I don't have time for this!". It's not that you don't appreciate Sue and all that she has done for the company...you just don't need to see 80% of your colleagues write the same "Congrats! We'd be lost without you!" email in reply to the announcement.
I mean, is there anyone who really signs up for ALL. THESE. EMAILS?
You can STOP this incessant bombardment of emails that threaten to increase your blood pressure and thwart your productivity.
Here's the solution:
Ignore them.
No, not pretend they don't exist. Use the ignore feature within Outlook to stop these pesky emails from appearing in your inbox. In fact, you can apply this feature to ANY email that you receive where you don’t want to continue being part of the conversation.
Here's how it works:
When you see an email come through that could elicit a storm of "reply all" emails (or any email thread you no longer want to be a part of), make sure the email is highlighted, then go to your Home (main tab) and then click Ignore (under the Delete section).
You'll see a pop-up window which explains that any future emails that come through for this conversation (only) will be moved to your deleted items folder. Click Ignore Conversation.
The large amount of emails that follow will now never enter your inbox to bother you. They will go straight to your Deleted Items folder where you never have to see them.
You can always find them in your Deleted Items folder in the unlikely event someone desperately wants your opinion on where the team should have their Christmas lunch this year.
One less thing to drive you crazy about your emails!
If you like this blog and found this tip helpful, I'd love to hear below in the comments. Maybe others you know could benefit from this article? Please like and share with your friends and colleagues.
What else frustrates you about your Outlook inbox? Comment below and the next blog you see could solve YOUR biggest problem in email!